RALEIGH, N.C. — The American flag is one of the nation’s most widely acknowledged symbols.
Now the same American flag you see atop federal government buildings is required by law to be made in the United States using American materials.
President Joe Biden signed the All-American Flag Act into law Tuesday. The law bars any federal agency from buying an American flag not made in the country.
“I see no problems with it,” said Clifton Murphy, who has run Capitol Flag & Flagpole for the past two years.
Murphy makes a living out of providing businesses, private citizens, some local along with state government agencies and industries with flagpoles to raise American flags.
“It takes a tremendous amount of physical labor. And if you're a guy that's into that kind of thing, I get a pretty great enjoyment out of working with my hands,” Murphy said.
Nothing gives the former serviceman more pride than seeing old glory flap in the wind.
“Going to a 70-year-old veteran's home and putting up a flagpole for him and his branch flag (from) Army, Navy, Air Force, (or) Marines underneath that, and seeing the joy that they get from it is why I do what I do,” Murphy said.
His clients include the Wake County government and the N.C. Governor’s Mansion.
“I’m absolutely for it. If we can give the business to a local company, keep the money in the local economy and have that money come back to other businesses and help the local community grow. I see no problems with it,” Murphy said.
Murphy said there is a cyclical benefit.
“You can't forget that there's a chain in the economy,” he said.
Murphy’s store manager, Lisa Rodwell, said while they do sell flags from several different countries, they take pride at selling flags made by hard-working American manufacturers using only American materials.
“We have all American-made flags of all sizes,” Rodwell said.
She held an imported flag side-by-side to compare against a domestic one.
“You can even see that the stitching on it is not as good,” Rodwell said in reference to the flag made out of the states.
Rodwell said they are booked solid through September to install and repair flagpoles.
Murphy said this job is a calling that reflects a mindset he carried over from his time in the Navy.
“Not giving yourself excuses for not doing something,” Murphy said.
She said if properly taken care of American flags should only need to be replaced every two years.